The PSD deputy elected by the Algarve Cristóvão Norte does not change (or add) a comma to the justification he gave about a year ago for having agreed to go to France to watch the Portugal-Hungary game counting for Euro2016, at the expense of Galp.
At a time when the case known as Galpgate is on the agenda, the Algarve parliamentarian, contacted by Sul Informação, says he does not want to make statements on the matter, referring to the justification he gave about a year ago, when the case was known, that he had been invited by a friend and not directly by the company.
The secretaries of State for Internationalization (Jorge Costa Oliveira), Fiscal Affairs (Fernando Rocha Andrade) and Industry (João Vasconcelos), requested the resignation of the positions they occupied after having asked the Public Ministry (MP) to constitute them as defendants, as part of an open survey on travel paid by Galp to Government members to attend Euro2016 matches.
Among the guests invited by the company to go to France was also PSD deputy Cristóvão Norte, who, according to the Sul Informação, was not constituted as a defendant, nor heard by the MP, at least for now.
At the time the case was known, in 2016, the Algarve deputy guaranteed that he had been "invited by a long-time personal friend", adding that he accepted the invitation "in a personal capacity and not as a deputy", considering that he "did not there was a conflict of interests», bearing in mind that the office of deputy is not executive.
On the other hand, he did not justify his absence from the plenary session that took place on the day of the game, similarly to what happened on the day he attended the semi-final of the European Football Championship, when he also failed to attend the session that took place in the Assembly of the Republic.
What is certain is that, since it became known that the MP is preparing to appoint the three secretaries of State as defendants, deputies from the PSD have already come to the public to criticize the timing chosen for the departure of members of the Government, taking into account that the case had been known for about a year.
In your statements to the Sul Informação, Cristóvão Norte refused to comment on the criticisms made by members of his own party and whether he felt affected by them. Nor did he comment on whether he was considering making his position available.
According to the Público newspaper, the heads of cabinet of the three governors who requested the resignation have been appointed as defendants in the Galpgate case, which led the three secretaries of State to anticipate that they may also have to answer to the courts.
The situation of Jorge Costa Oliveira, Fernando Rocha Andrade and João Vasconcelos is different from that of Cristóvão Norte, taking into account that they hold executive positions, in one case, the Secretary of State for Fiscal Affairs, with decision-making power on matters directly related to the company that offered the trips.
Even so, the fact that Cristóvão Norte is a member of a sovereign body with legislative power and, as such, has the right to vote and influence decisions that emanate from the Assembly of the Republic, has been highlighted by the more leftist parties. Here, too, the social-democratic deputy elected by the Algarve constituency refuses to make statements.
In the Assembly of the Republic, there are deputies who hold office, receiving fees or being paid by private entities, a situation that is far from being peaceful among the members of this body. Cristóvão Norte is an exclusive deputy, that is, he does not exercise any other paid function.
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